


deep roots are not touched by the frost

by rain_sleet_snow



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: (much better family), Angst and Humor, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Family Issues, Grief/Mourning, Healing, Team as Family, Turtleduck(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-03
Updated: 2019-03-03
Packaged: 2019-11-08 21:26:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17988803
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rain_sleet_snow/pseuds/rain_sleet_snow
Summary: The first thing Zuko decided, once the first dust had settled and Sokka had pointed out to everyone that food and sleep were necessary, was that he would be based for the foreseeable future in the suites surrounding the garden with the turtleduck pond.





	deep roots are not touched by the frost

**Author's Note:**

  * For [scribblemyname](https://archiveofourown.org/users/scribblemyname/gifts).



The first thing Zuko decided, once the first dust had settled and Sokka had pointed out to everyone that food and sleep were necessary, was that he would be based for the foreseeable future in the suites surrounding the garden with the turtleduck pond.

 

"My lord, they are not ready."

 

"I’ve been sleeping on stone floors and a flying bison's tail for the last six months, a few cobwebs won't kill me."

 

"My lord, they aren't fit."

 

"I'll be the judge of that."

 

"My lord, all the Fire Lord's regalia is in your sister's rooms -"

 

"I am not sleeping in my sister's _bed_. And anything she handled should be thoroughly checked for booby traps! Preferably by Lady Mai or Lady Ty Lee."

 

"My lord," said the seneschal in a last-ditch effort at persuasion, "they are not defensible."

 

"I'm accompanied by the Avatar, two of the Avatar's teachers, some of the finest warriors in the world, and - can I remind you - a flying bison." Zuko rubbed at his chest and wondered when this idiot would shut up. "I'm not worried about self-defence."

 

"Zuko," said Katara, sweeping into view and bulldozing over the seneschal with her habitual charm, "why are you still out here arguing with this poor man when you need to rest?"

 

That poor man - who was probably frightened of Katara, like most of the servants, who seemed to suspect that someone who could defeat Azula was probably worse than Azula herself - took the hint and made himself scarce. Zuko allowed himself to be propelled in the direction of the suites he had chosen.

 

He found the toll of the years had been worse than he'd feared. The rooms didn't seem to have been cleaned any time in the last five years; they were absolutely filthy, none of the coverlets or other linens looked salvageable, and there were almost certainly mice.

 

Zuko sat down and put his head in his hands, and let the white noise take over for a bit. It was a small thing, surely, to want to sleep in a safe and beloved place. He'd defeated his sister. He'd helped save the world. He'd taught the Avatar and toppled his father's destructive rule. Surely it wasn’t so much to ask -

 

"Hey, Sparky," Toph said, and prodded him with one toe. "Mind if I move some stuff around a bit so we can sleep better? I promise not to mess up the trees. Or the pond. And I'll put it back in the morning."

 

"Uh, no," Zuko said, puzzled. "I don't mind."

 

After a bit, he heard the familiar grinding sound of Toph rearranging the scenery, and decided not to open his eyes, just in case. Sokka yelped at Toph, and Aang swooped down from above on Appa, asking what there was to eat and if Zuko was okay.

 

"He's fiiiine," Sokka said. "Just needs to chill for a bit. It's been a, uh, a big day. Couple of days. And this was -" Sokka lowered his voice, but not enough. "This was his mom's favourite place and Ozai wrecked it by neglecting it because, you know." He flung his arms wide; Zuko didn't see him do it, but he knew it was happening. Sokka was in many ways fairly predictable. " _Spite_."

 

Zuko raised his head momentarily. "What did you do with my father? You said you took his bending. Where did you put him?"

 

"Uh, Mai helped me find a nice dungeon," Aang said. "And I earthbent a second door when she asked me to. He's fine. He's not going anywhere."

 

"Good," Zuko said, and shut his eyes again.

 

"Aang," Sokka said, "can you just... set this on fire for me?"

 

Zuko shut his eyes a bit tighter.

 

After a while, Toph stopped moving the earth around, and Zuko heard Katara, Mai, and Ty Lee return. "Have you just been letting him sit there and stew?" Mai asked.

 

"Uh, yeah," Sokka said. "He'll snap out of it eventually."

 

"Mm."

 

Zuko heard Mai's light footsteps approaching, and then she dropped an armful of linens on his head. He spluttered, and clawed them into his lap.

 

"Come on, Zuko," she said. "You can't be this useless at making camp or Katara and Toph would have left you behind months ago."

 

"Hey!" Aang said.

 

"You’re way too forgiving, Avatar."

 

Zuko opened his eyes, and blinked hard at what he saw. The desolate garden had been transformed into a comfortable camp, partly helped by the darkness of the evening. Katara was unloading a basketful of food to cook, next to the cheerful fire Sokka had made. Toph had bent the earth into sleeping platforms, and left space for Appa to flop onto his side. Ty Lee was shaking out another load of linens, and arguing with Aang over the best ways to arrange them. It looked like Ty Lee was winning.

 

"I know this was your mother's garden," Mai said, very soft and low, one of her slim hands resting on his shoulder. "And Ozai let it die. But Katara said the pond is healthy and Toph tells me the earth is still good. The garden will flower again." She hesitated. "There will be ducklings again."

 

Zuko leaned into her arm, and let himself believe it.

 

 

Ten years later, there were baby turtleducks on the pond, and his daughter was feeding them bread. Mai was with her, and they had a scroll in front of them; it looked to Zuko as if the rule was one correctly read kanji per turtleduck-feeding. He smiled, and moved forward to join them. Izumi looked up, shrieked what Zuko vaguely recognised as a Southern Water Tribe war cry and flung herself at her father.

 

"Aren't you supposed to be plaguing your tutors, Izumi?" he said, catching her and swinging her around before settling her on his hip. She giggled, and pressed her face into his shoulder.

 

"I said I would study with her, as a treat," Mai said, rising to her feet and walking over. There was a slight roundedness to her stomach beneath her robes, more than there had been when he'd left; he kissed her and touched her abdomen lightly, raising his eyebrows. She nodded in reassurance. All well, then - this baby wasn't making her sick and furious, like Izumi had.

 

"Really? And are you behaving for your mother?" He turned Izumi upside-down briefly, flipping her the right way up when she laughed. She laughed like Azula had done as a child, but unlike Azula, she was not in the habit of flinging rocks at the turtle-ducks.

 

"Ye-es," Izumi sing-songed.

 

"She has developed a passion for the Water Tribe," Mai informed Zuko, with affection. "It is all Sokka's fault, and we have a choice between engaging new tutors or having Katara and Aang to stay."

 

"I think we should probably pencil in a visit for them anyway," Zuko said, with a pointed look at Mai's stomach. There were not going to be any more panicked dragonback dashes in search of Katara's medical assistance. Zuko's remaining nerves would not stand the strain. "But I daresay the ambassador from the North can recommend a temporary instructor in the meantime. If you're really interested, little duck?"

 

"Sokka gave me a club!" Izumi said. Zuko translated this as 'yes', and resolved to speak to Sokka about appropriate gifts for five-year-olds.

 

"Did he?" he said. "You'll have to show me later." He took Mai's hand in his free one, and carried Izumi over to the pond. "Now. Will you introduce me to the new ducklings?"

 


End file.
